Drill steel retainer



. July 5, 1938. J. c. CURTIS ET AL 2,122,516

' DRILL STEEL RETAINER Filed Aug. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l JOH/VCCU/777S A? ALBERT F'l/CHT INVENTORS ATTORNEY y 5, 1938- .1. c. CURTIS El AL 2,122,516

DRILL STEEL RETAINER Filed Aug. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 0 I v T 30 F1 8 w 'H' 33 3 a0 -44 JOHN 6360,7776 J/MBERT FEUC h T INVENTORS I 43 BY V ATTORNEY Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES DRILL STEEL RETAINER John 0. Curtis and Albert Feucht, Garfield Heights, Ohio, assignors to The Cleveland Rock Drill Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 16, 1935, Serial No. 36,540

6 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to rock drills of the percussive type, but more particularly to improvements in drill steel retainer.

One object of this invention is to produce a releasable drill steel or tool retainer which is simple in design, economic in manufacture, and susceptible of ready manipulation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drill steel retainer with cushioning means for absorbing the blows of the drill steel against the retainer.

These objects are accomplished by a construction free of complication, and by an arrangement of parts resulting in a compact unit which is strong, durable, and efficient.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the front portion of a rock drill having the invention ap- 20 plied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the retainer positioned as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the retainer, the section being taken through a plane indicated by line 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through a plane indicated by line 4--4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of a portion of a rock drill having a modified form of the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through a plane indicated by line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is also a sectional view taken through a plane indicated by line 'l-'l in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is also a side elevational view illustrating another modification of the invention.

Fig. 9' is a sectional view taken through a plane indicated by line 99 in Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is also a sectional view taken through a plane indicated by line Ill-l0 in Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings in which like symbols designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a front housing I5, which is secured to the rock drill by bolts 16 and co-operating nuts H. The housing I5 is of the type adapted to slidably receive the shanks of a drill steel l8 having a collar l9 formed integral therewith, and engageable with the front end of the housing I5, for limiting the penetration of the drill steel shank into the housing.

Toward its forward extremity, the housing I5 is provided with a transversally disposed boss 20 formed on one side thereof. The ends of the boss are spot faced to form circular lands 2|, from which extend upwardly bosses or ribs 22 also formed integrally with the housing IS. The boss 20 is formed with a relatively large cylindrical, aperture 23, within which is located a sleeve 24 formed of resilient material such as rubber. In the sleeve 24 is inserted a shaft 25, which has its end portions protruding from the ends of the boss 20. These end portions are provided with relatively large grooves 26 having side walls 2'! and 28 extending part way around the shaft. The bottom of the grooves is turned eccentrically with the shaft, but of a radius equal to that of the latter.

Partly surrounding the drill steel [8 below the collar 19, there is a yoke or retainer 29 capable of engagement with the collar I9 to prevent the accidental removal of the drill steel shank from the front housing IS. The yoke 29 is provided with parallel side arms 39 extending upwardly therefrom. Each of the side arms 30 is terminated by an enlargement 3| having an aperture 32 transversally therethrough, which is adapted to receive the corresponding grooved end of the shaft 25. The width of these enlargements is somewhat less than that of the grooves 26, permitting thereby the former to drop within the latter with the upper wall portion of the apertures 32 in pivotal engagement with the arcuated bottom wall of the grooves 26, and the side walls 21 and 28 of each groove capable of engagement with the corresponding side wall of the enlargements 3|.

Formed within each of the ribs 22, there is a fiat bottom bore 39 having a plunger 33 slidably therein. This plunger is constantly urged in engagement with the peripheral wall of the enlargement 3| due to the effort of a compression spring 34, which is interposed between the plunger 33 and the bottom 45 of the bore 39. The peripheral wall of each enlargement 3| is formed with two flats or stops 35 and 36, with which the plunger 33 is engageable for maintaining the yoke in open or closed position relative to the drill steel l8.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the aperture 31 formed through the front housing boss 20 is of an oblong shape. Located between the shaft 25 and the bottom of the aperture 31, there is a member 38 also formed of resilient material such as rubber. This member is of a crescent shape as shown in Fig. '7, and is adapted, like the sleeve 24, to absorb the blows of the drill steel against the retainer.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the shaft 40 extending through the resilient sleeve 24 is cylindrical throughout. The end portions of this shaft also protrude from the ends of the boss 20 to pivotally receive the enlargements 4| of the yoke side arms 30. Leading from the inner side wall of each of the enlargements 4|, there is an oblong counterbore 42 adapted to pivotally receive the corresponding end portion of the shaft 40, which may be introduced therein through a cylindrical aperture 43 leading from the bottom of the counterbore 42 to the external side wall of the enlargement 4|. The bottom of each counterbore 42 forms a side wall 44 capable of engagement with the corresponding end of the shaft 40 for preventing the accidentalremoval of the latter. Since the rest of the mechanism of the two modifications illustrated in Figs. 5 to 10 is a replica of that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4', no further explanation is thought necessary.

In assembling the device, the resilient sleeve 24 is first introduced into the aperture 23 of the boss 2!]. The yoke is then positioned with the aperture of the enlargements 3! thereof, in alignment with the interiorof the sleeve 24 by compressingthe springs 34. The shaft 25 is then introduced through the enlargements 3i and sleeve 24, until the upper portion .of the former drop in the corresponding grooves 26 of the shaft 25. The side wall 2'! of each groove 26 engaging the external side wall of the corresponding enlargement 3!, prevents the accidental removal of the shaft 25 as well as the spreading of the parallel arms of the yoke 29.

In operation, the yoke 29 is held in a closed position relative to the passage of the drill steel collar l9, due to the forcible engagement of the spring pressed plungers 33 with the flats 35. The downward pressure exerted by the plungers 33 also maintains the shaft 25 in interlocking engagement with the upperend of the side arms 30 for preventing the accidental removal of the shaft. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to .7 inclusive, the pressure exerted by the plungers 33 also maintains the shaft 25 in engagement with the enlargements 3| for preventing the spreading of the side arms 30. When it is desired to remove the drill steel from the housing i5,'the yoke 29 may be rocked into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus permitting a free removal of the drill steel. The

yoke is also maintained in open position due to the engagement of the spring pressed plungers 33 with the flats 36.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the device is very simple in design and manufacture. The accidental blows delivered to the yoke 29 by the collar of the drill steel, being absorbed by the resilient material interposed between the shaft 25 and housing l5, will reduce wear and prevent possible breakage of the operating parts, thus increasing the life of the device as well as reducing the operating cost thereof.

' We claim:

1. A steel retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said front housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, a removable shaft extending through said aperture and engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for the yoke, means integral with said shaft engageable with said side arms for preventing the ac cidental removal of said shaft from said housing, and means carried by said housing exerting pressure on said side arms for maintaining the same in interlocking engagement with the means on said shaft.

2. A steel retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a yoke'for retaining the drill steel in said front housing, side arms extending from said yoke, an anchoring device between said arms and housing including a boss on said housing having a removable shaft therein, said shaft engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, said shaft being formed with integral surfaces capable of interlocking engagement with said side arms for preventing the accidental removal of said shaft from said housing, and means operatively associated with said device for maintaining the interlocking engagement aforesaid.

3. A steel retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said front housing, side arms extending from said yoke, a connecting mechanism between said housing and said side arms including a shaft carried by said housing and engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, means integral with said shaft and capable of interlocking engagement with said side arms for preventing the spreading thereof, and means operatively associated with said connecting mechanism' for maintaining the interlocking engagement of the means on said shaft with said side arms.

4. A steel retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said front housing, side arms extending from said yoke to said aperture, a shaft through said aperture, a semi-annular groove formed in each endportion of said shaft adaptedto receive the end portion of said side arms for pivotally securing said yoke to said front housing, and means carried by said front housing exerting pressure'on the side arms of said yoke for maintaining the same in pivotal engagement with'the bottom wall of the grooves of said shaft.

5. A steel retainer fora rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said front. housing, side arms extending upwardlyfrom said yoke, a shaft extending'through said aperture. and having its end portions extending through the upper end of said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, and means on said end portions integral with said shaft operatively engageable with said side arms for detachably locking said shaft against removal from said front housing.

6. A steel retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a front housing and a drill steel, a shaft carried by said housing on one side thereof, a drill steel retaining yoke having side arms extending upwardly therefrom, an aperture extending through the upper end of each of said side arms, said shaft extending into said apertures to serve as a pivot for said yoke, and means integral with said side arms operatively engageable with the end walls ofsaid shaft for detachably locking said shaft against removal from said front housing.

JOHN vC. CURTIS. ALBERT FEUCHT. 

